Demon's Imminence - The Final Battle
by Skullfrost
Summary: This is a oneshot for a future event for my other fanfiction, Demon's Imminence. This documents a final, bloody battle between the group residing at the Phantomhive manor and a malicious Demon King.


_This is the final battle between the Phantomhive group from **Demon's Imminence** , and a malicious Demon King of which has not yet been mentioned in the currently uploaded chapters. This is very, very far ahead from what is already uploaded, however I've decided to release this bit as a one-shot sooner rather than wait until I can publish all leading-up chapters simply because this was really fuckin' epic. As an obvious warning, this oneshot contains SPOILERS for Demon's Imminence._

 _To make this a bit more understandable, let me go ahead and give you a bit of background information: Near and L are both dead. L is reresurrected as a shinigami, and Near is a demon. Mello and Matt were also resurrected- as neither demons nor shinigami, but an unclassified supernatural entity._

 _Ciel has also become a demon- the events of Season 2 of Kuroshitsuji have happened, but were very drastically changed. Every character had an entirely different role. That marked the first true appearance of a reference to the Demon King's influence._

 _When the end of season 1 happened, and Ash the angel was defeated, Sebastian was, of course, going to eat Ciel's soul. He was intercepted by Claude._

 _L did not want either Sebastian or Claude to have Ciel's soul, and started up a group with Hanji, the Triplets, Alois, and a few others to oppose both Sebastian and Claude to keep Ciel alive. A sort-of war waged between the three factions, and Hanji made a contract with Alois to turn Ciel into a demon._

 _Sebastian ended up killing Claude, who revealed that his actions weren't his own- he was being influenced by an unknown force. Sebastian tried to prevent his son's death, but it was too late- Claude died.  
_

 _Hanji led her faction against Sebastian after that, and while the Triplets handled him, she kidnapped Ciel, where she killed and resurrected him as a demon. She ate Alois' soul shortly afterwards._

 _Ciel soon, unfortunately for him, got himself stuck in the animal form of a ferret- this transformation lasted a very long while, however it was an advantage in the dungeon raid._

 _L, Hanji, and Levi were kidnapped by an unknown force and kept in a dungeon in Hell. This was soon discovered by Near and the others, who sent Ciel, equipped with body cameras, into the dungeons as a spy, using his small ferret form to his advantage. Upon discovering the cells in which his comrades were being kept, he found them in terrible condition- driven half-mad by starvation, and L was the worst of them all. He had been forced to watch a show that screwed with his mind, driving him insane- a show called Candle Cove._

 _Ciel soon discovered that the dungeon was owned by a Demon King, who had employed a huge army of monsters under his command- many of which patrolled the dungeons._

 _Near eventually had Ciel set up a camera in the cell room, as well as a speaker so that he could speak directly to the prisoners._

 _Ciel spent weeks in the dungeon, being watched from a monitor by Near, as he documented the layout and types of monsters they would be facing. While in there, Ciel met a young dragon. It had originally been placed there as an enemy- however, it bonded to Ciel, who named it Rhaegos._

 _A new prisoner was soon thrown in there- a young man by the name of Lloyd Irving, who later became a valuable ally._

 _Near began conducting a rescue mission, and led the group to the dungeon, where they fought their way through and finally were able to rescue Levi, Hanji, L, and Lloyd. On their way back out, Near nearly died from a dragon attack- however, his life was saved by Lloyd. However, Lloyd praised Near as the hero instead of himself afterwards, because Near had led the rescue in the first place and had been sacrificing all of his supplies for everyone else._

 _Right before they reached the exit, they were faced with a large dragon- which L fought. L won the battle, and the dragon became bonded to him instead of killing him, or him having to kill it. The dragon was called Erisdaar, and flew the group back to the human realm._

 _After the dungeon raid, Near was still injured and needed to recover- Lloyd stayed with the boy throughout this entire period, which kickstarted a close friendship between the two. Lloyd soon went to his homeland to retrieve the group of friends he had been with before his capture, and they all stayed at the manor with him and everyone else._

 _When Near told Lloyd the story of Kira, Lloyd suddenly began to have visions and nightmares, of people dying, and many things from Kira's point of view. He freaked out about this, and it was soon discovered that Lloyd was actually a reincarnation of Light Yagami, and had not retained a single bit of Light's memories until Near told him about Kira; He had lived an entirely separate life, as well as having entirely separate ideals- he absolutely hated pointless death, and when he discovered that he had been a ruthless killer in a past life, it tore him apart. However, L was able to invent something which was able to separate Light from Lloyd, and the two became entirely separate entities- as well as fighting a lot._

 _Soon enough, after Near's full recovery, the group began to prepare themselves for a fight with the demon king._

 _However, he had begun sending his monsters to the human realm, and the creatures began terrorizing the cities. The Phantomhive group began to organize themselves, with a few of the best fighters going out to tame their own dragons for battle._

 _The group then saved London from a large monster attack- and the news spread like wildfire. The secret was out- supernatural beings existed. However, the attention was not negative in the least. Instead, they were hailed as heroes._

 _Lloyd continued to bond with Near, the two of them becoming close friends over the months they spent together._

 _A long while later, many of the group began acting strange. Near became violent with Lloyd on a small trip once, as well as with a young injured boy they had found that was attacked by monsters- his name was Cloud. Near kicked Lloyd twice when he tried to stick up for the injured boy, and soon aimed his gun at him. Lloyd became angry with this and took Cloud, running off to safety._

 _The group soon realized that, like Claude, Near's actions were not his own- and they made the revelation that the Demon King was manipulating their minds, making them do things they wouldn't normally do._

 _Near had L build a sort of tracker- and they were able to track down what seemed to be the Demon King, where they had a huge battle with him in a dungeon. The lives of Regal and Presea were lost, and they gained a new ally- a man known as Luke._

 _However, the group was relieved- they had finally defeated the source of so much trouble, and soon even more allies, who happened to be friends of Luke: Ion, Jade, and Tear, as well as an ex-enemy, Sync._

 _Things were finally going to be peaceful again- the King was gone._

 _However... that wasn't actually the case._

The group was on a massive patrol of the city, their new weapons on their hands as they walked about with their dragons in tow.

"...and that's the end," L was finishing, having been discussing common signs of affection in this universe with Sync. "Nothing more for you to know."

"...People are wierd," Sync commented halfheartedly at the end of L's explanation. "Back with the God-Generals, the most affectionate physical thing we did was punch eachother in the face."

"Yeah, that's not really affectionate," came the response. "Universal differences are odd, I agree."

Near was leading the patrol, his face hidden completely. The wounds had closed, but had left scars- and Near didn't want people to see that.

"It probably had nothing to do with universal differences," Sync replied, blinking. "It's probably the fact that we just weren't friendly people. I know that's far from affectionate."

"I must have misinterpreted your words, I apologize," L replied with a soft dip of his head. "Here, we are far friendlier, as you can see."

"Yeaaaah... though Near certainly isn't," Sync grumbled in response, sending a light glare in the white-haired boy's direction. "Ugh, my mouth /still/ hurts from that damn electric thing."

"I think it's just the God-Generals that were so aggressive," Ion piped up with an amused expression. "And, well, the Grand Maestro faction of the Order of Lorelei. Other people though are pretty kind, like Luke and Tear, and Anise, and a lot of other people I know."

"Near has... issues," L replied, though he gave a nod at Ion's words. "Yes, from what I've heard, it sounds like just the God-Generals were harsh."

Near listened in silence. Issues? I don't know what got into me.. they're cards and they're precious, but to electrocute someone over them? I feel bad.

"Blame Van," Sync muttered in response, brow furrowing. "He was an asshole."

"Or Mohs," Ion added.

"Mohs sucked ass."

"Do you think it's an ego thing?" L murmured quietly.

"Do I think what's an ego thing?" Sync questioned, turning his attention back to L.

"The God-Generals acting unsatisfactorily."

"...I guess?" Sync responded, a bit confused. "Mostly it's because they were bitter and resentful to the world and the Score- like Van, and even myself. We... wanted the current world destroyed so a new, replicated world could be made that is free of the Score, so people wouldn't have all of their lives predetermined. We hated the way things were, how the people of Auldrant clung to the Score as if their lives depended on it. I guess... that kind of affected our general attitude towards things."

"Interesting," L replied, looking and sounding genuinely interested.

Just then, a very large shadow fell across the patrol, and a very large dragon- larger than Levi's and L's combined- flew overhead, its yellow eyes locked on the group. It was bulky, with long, feathery fur in the place of scales, and several pairs of arms running along its sides. It had four pairs of eyes and twelve horns running from its snout to its forehead.

A true monster.

The creature let out a loud screech and began to dive towards the group, claws outstretched as it blew lightning from its jaws.

The group quickly parted, immediately going on the defensive. Just as the dragon dived for them, numerous other monsters began to flood the streets, snarling viciously and attacking random passersby, as well as surrounding the group.

"Call reinforcements!" Ciel immediately commanded from atop Rhaegos' head. "Call those from the neighborhood! This is /bad/, we're going to need everyone!"

Near activated his claws. Electricity coursed through them, a buzz heard as they turned on. He then slammed a fist into the blue button on his armband, alerting the members in the neighborhood of danger. "Activate your claws! They'll help you in a pinch!"

He then drew his pistol, loading it and aiming for the large, furry dragon. A single, well-placed shot blasted through its jaw and into its brain, and its head exploded. The creature dropped like a weight.

"Out of the way!" Near exclaimed, taking cover against a building as the beast slammed into the concrete with a crack. Cobblestone and pavement uplifted at its sheer size, and a couple of group members were sent flying- though they would survive.

Everyone else also pressed the warning buttons on their armbands, further alerting the neighborhood people of danger.

Unfortunately, things were not currently looking great at the moment, and it would definitely be hard to hold off the huge army of monsters that was now attacking them- monsters lunged from every direction, and were sliced in half by the group members' swords or shot with guns. However, they just kept coming.

"Someone protect Ion!" Luke exclaimed, as a Hellhound lunged for the green-haired boy, which he quickly dispatched. "He can't fight close-range! He's too weak- someone get him to safet- Agh!" He was cut off as a Hellhound sank its fangs into his leg, and he quickly slashed at it with his sword.

"Howl, o raging winds... /Tempest!/" Sync's voice suddenly rang out as he leapt into the air, viciously and very quickly kicking out and punching the monsters, as violent winds threw them back.

"I, who stand in the light of the heavens, call upon thee to release thy fury of thunder," a new voice rang out, "INDIGNATION!"

As the form of none other than Jade Curtiss, followed by the rest of the neighborhood members, showed itself, lightning began to strike the monsters in large quantities, killing many.

"Tue rei ze croa riou tue ze...~" a feminine voice rang out, causing many of the monsters to freeze in place, unable to move as Luke began to kill them, flashing the singer, Tear, a grateful look.

"WOOOHOOOOO!" a voice suddenly rang out as none other than Misa Amane arrived on-scene, driving one of the many modified vehicles. It was an old Model T, turned into a monster tank. Misa steered the dark green vehicle towards a group of hellhounds and ran them over flat. The entire Task Force were driving individual vehicles, and they worked as a team to eliminate as many monsters as they could.

But the monsters kept on coming.

A very large creature with long, bony legs, a hump on its back, ragged feathers, and a wolf skull head suddenly reared around the corner, focus locked on Sync as it barreled down the broken and cracked asphalt. Buildings were burning at this point, as were carriages, cars, and... people. The smoke and smell was horrifying, but the beast took no heed to it. It leaped onto Sync, latching its jaws into his stomach and beginning to rip. Blood seeped from the wounds, as did some amount of gore as the beast tore and bit and snarled.

But the others were too preoccupied to notice. Swords lashed, guns fired, and claws zapped as the patrol fought tooth and nail against the sudden onslaught of creatures.

It was chaos.

Sync gave a pained scream as he was suddenly bitten into, kicking and punching wildly as the creature attacked him. Luke took notice and quickly pulled away from a Hellhound he had just sliced in half, lunging for the skeletal creature. He quickly sliced off its head, killing it and causing it to let go of Sync, who hit the asphalt, panting and breathing harshly, shaking with pain.

"Shit!" Luke exclaimed, bending down beside Ion. "Sync's down! Someone heal him!"

"Bring him over here!" a soothing voice called. Ginko had stationed himself inside one of the few non-burning buildings. It had been a cafe up until now, and the one-eyed, white-haired human had sprawled herbs and remedies across a wooden table. He was no medic, but he knew basics.

Luke gave a nod and lifted Sync up, carrying the boy over to Ginko and gently laying him down. Sync gave a low noise of pain, shaking violently as he continued to bleed out.

The streets continued to be an utter scene of chaos. A large suburban vehicle was thrown into the air, and none other than L happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The flaming car crashed into his back, sending him sprawling onto the cement sidewalk with a sickening crunch. The black-haired shinigami yowled in pain, hands twitching as he tried to free himself. The top of the car was balanced on his back, and it was heavy; his wide, grey eyes met those of whoever was closest to him.

Cloud.

"Cloud!" L exclaimed, reaching a hand towards the boy. "Please, help-"

He was cut off as he noticed something off about Cloud. He couldn't tell what it was, but it was bad.

Really bad.

Cloud hadn't been fighting a single monster the entire fight- and as L called to him for help, the once entirely innocent-acting boy turned to him, a wide, disturbing grin on his face.

"The king isn't dead," he hissed after a moment, mouth stretching into the most evil-looking, sinister grin a demon had ever given, teeth sharpening into sharklike fangs, eyes glowing red.

L's eyes widened at that, his face dropping. "Y- you-"

A sudden flame of rage boiled inside the shinigami. He was thinking clearly; he realized that he had not done so, after all.

All of them had been under the king's influence. Every single one of them had been manipulated into doing what they did.

Including Near.

"You are a monster," L stated, almost inaudible as he found a new strength. The shinigami pushed upwards on the yellow, flaming car, but to no avail; he slumped back down to the sidewalk with a cringe.

L was trapped and at the king's mercy.

Cloud cocked his head back, letting out a cruel, maniacal sounding laugh, before turning back to L with that sickening grin of his, sticking his now forked snakelike tongue through his teeth.

"You're all so pathetic," the boy cackled, eyes slitting to become more catlike, claws emerging from his fingertips, and a fluffy white lion-esque tail growing. "Did you honestly think that the Demon King could be defeated so easily? Vaati was simply a pawn... and because of your pathetic foolishness, you and this entire world will burn! Too bad you couldn't be smart enough to figure shit out sooner, you stupid shinigami!"

"I would have if you gave me incentive to," L replied, voice calm and expression softening. "But instead, you chose to manipulate us. Our feelings. Our thoughts. In telling me I am stupid, you are praising yourself. Your own ingenuity. You are a bastard, Mr. Cloud."

"I'm /flattered/," Cloud responded with that wide grin of his, tail twitching. "Hmmm... let's seeeee... should I kill you now or wait until you can watch all your friends die first? Hm..."

"What reason do you have to target me, specifically?" Do not make me watch my friends die.

"Do I need a reason?" Cloud responded in amusement, stepping towards L and kneeling down in front of him, staring down at his face. "Perhaps I simply find it amusing to fuck with you."

"Psychopathy affects the brain in many ways, one being that a studied persona is put on," L replied quietly. He struggled against the yellow car, but to no avail; it continued to crush into his back, the flames spreading to his leather and polyester uniform. "Another is that the victim does not truly feel anything for any person, no matter how hard they try." The shinigami attempted to kick at his burning pants, but that did not work very well, as his legs and torso were trapped.

"Many psychopaths are criminal geniuses, on par with a God when it comes to pulling off their crimes. You have every intent to kill me, but you wish to see me suffer first, is that correct?"

"Perhaps you're not so stupid after all," Cloud commented, still grinning. Looks like L's statement was confirmed.

"And so you will attempt to crawl under my skin like a parasite by killing your pawns. What are a couple of pawns when you have such pieces as rooks, bishops, and a queen? We mean nothing to you; we are of no value to you. Simple toys."

The fight had spread itself throughout the city of London. Shops, houses, carriages, and cars burned to a crisp, the scent of burning flesh and the sounds of gunshots filling the air. It seemed inescapable. To top it off, dark grey storm clouds covered the massive town, threatening to pour precipitation on the chaotic world below.

Instead of rain, however, it began to snow; the cold flakes mixed with grey ash on their way down, causing distraction for the already occupied forces. Creatures ran rampant throughout the cobblestone and asphalt streets, claws and talons clicking as they moved on the attack. Jaws gnashed, claws sliced, swords slashed, and pistols shot; the electric claws were coming in handy, but they were not enough to dent the sheer size of the group of raging beasts.

A loud scream was heard on one of the many streets. A blonde-haired reincarnation fell to his knees, a gaping hole in his chest. His ribs, heart, and insides were all visible; blood splattered against the soft snow/ash mix that was falling to the cold ground. Mello fell onto his back, the Hellhound standing over him with bared teeth and flaring red eyes. Mello held up his specialized pistol and fired, the creature's brains splattering against the closest stone wall.

"Matt..." he whispered, slamming a hand against the red button on his armband. "Please..."

L looked down at his armband as a red dot flashed on the screen. He was too far away, he'd never be able to come to the rescue- he was also trapped. He did not use his armband to call for help, however. I have enough time left to discuss this with King Cloud. His lifespan is long- I wonder if I could shorten it.

Matt stared at Mello, eyes wide and filled with horror as the one he loved lay sprawled on the ground, mortally wounded and close to death.

"Mello!" he screamed, lurching forward toward the blonde and falling to his knees beside him. "No, no, no, no... Someone! Anyone, help! Mello's hurt!"

He gazed around frantically, eyes wide with terror. His breathing came in short, quick bursts, entire body quivering. He then suddenly found himself falling to the ground beside the wounded blonde, the claws of a demonic felid creature going right through him from behind, and coming out from his chest. He struggled to get up, but to no avail- he collapsed to the ground, feeling himself slowly losing consciousness as the felid ripped his back open further before bounding off and leaving him for dead.

Mello grabbed Matt's hand, brown eyes wide. "Matt..." he whispered hoarsely, blood staining the snow around the two. It was cold; the reincarnation could feel himself shivering, from both shock and temperature. "Matt, it was one hell of a good ride, yeah? We saved the city!"

He could quite clearly see that their wounds were beyond repair, that even if the two survived, they would be mortally crippled. The grey snow fell in gentle flakes, falling on top of the couple. It was all happening so quickly...

Matt gave a strangled cough, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth as he slowly, weakly turned his head to face Mello, lightly squeezing the blonde's head. He cracked a tiny, sad smile, eyes glistening as he stared into Mello's eyes.

"Y-Yeah..." he rasped, eyes wettening. "That was... that was a good ride, Mells. We... we'll make it, yea..? We're... too tough t.. to die..."

"Y- yeah," Mello replied with a strangled laugh. "We- we're way too tough fo- for that sh- shit!" Tears began to freeze to his cold face, and he pulled himself forward, lips brushing against Matt's. "Course we- we'll live. We- we h- have to."

"Y-Yeah..." Matt choked in response, tears beginning to escape his eyes, forming ice crystals on his face. "...I... I love ya, Mells... we'll... we'll get out of this together... We.. we're gonna make it... and be togeth...er... 'till we finally... kick the bucket..."

"And when we k-kick it..." Mello gave Matt a long, drawn-out kiss.

The snow and ash began to pile on top of the two, layers upon layers of grey flakes falling gently against each other as the two made their last show of affection a good one. Flakes were piling in their hair and eyelashes, and their tears were freezing to their cheeks in solid crystals.

Finally, the blonde pulled away, staring at Matt with adoring eyes. "...we'll kick it together," he finished with a whisper before his eyes rolled back. His eyelids closed, and he faceplanted into the snow, unbreathing.

His body lay still forever.

"Together..." Matt whispered softly, one final time, before he too took his last breath, falling limp beside Mello, never to see the light of day again.

The snow piled over the bodies, obscuring them from view in a discreet, freezing grave.

Two black dots popped up on L's armband, and his eyes hardened. "Two pawns," he told Cloud. "You lost two pawns."

The snow versus the fire was a nice temperature combination, and L didn't mind being stuck under the yellow, flaming car for a bit longer. The sidewalk was warm from where he'd been laying, and he focused his energy on Cloud.

Ginko finished wrapping Sync's chest with soft, white gauze, giving the demon a small chair cushion to rest his head on. The stone floor was hard, after all, and cold- the human grabbed his brown coat from his box and rested it gently across Sync's chest.

Near had long ditched his goggles and mask, and was fighting with his face fully exposed, using his electric claws to slash apart a gathering of Japanese ghosts that had cornered him. He was like a wild animal, eyes wild as he slashed at the advancing creatures.

The chaos continued.

Cloud's response to L was a wide grin. "Ahaha... that's kind of the point," he chuckled, heavily amused by what was going on. "They're /supposed/ to die.~"

As Sync was rested down, he gave a low groan of pain, curling up and wrapping his arms around himself, shivering- the wounds had been severe, and even Ginko's healing wouldn't be enough to get him back up on the battlefield.

Everyone else continued the battle with all they had. Those without dragons were on the ground, fighting tooth, nail, gun, sword, and magic in order to kill the monsters that continued to swarm them. Those with dragons flew overhead, using their mounts to battle enemy dragons and other flying monsters.

The entire city was a bloody battlefield of death and destruction.

"Yes," L replied, holding his arm up towards Cloud to display the growing number of black dots. "Your pawns are running out. Which piece will you use next? Choose wisely."

L's brain showed him a chessboard: every person was a chess piece, and Cloud was the sadistic player of both sides. One side attacked the other; the pawns were being taken by the red side, while the white side continued to fend off the other pawns. But the entire red side was full of pawns- no bishops, no rooks, no king, no queen. Simply an army of pawns pieced together to destroy the white side.

And Cloud controlled all of it.

A large, black, feather-coated dragon smashed through the main window of the cafe-turned-infirmary, its red eyes gleaming as it unhinged its jaws and grabbed the closest person it could.

Ginko.

The man fell victim to the giant lizard, which crushed him easily between its jaws. He didn't have time to let out so much as a scream before he was swallowed and lost forever.

The creature roared, stepping on top of the broken shards of crystalline glass as it made its way inside, jaws lashing and winged arms slashing. Ginko's blood covered its scaly muzzle and jagged teeth, spraying onto Sync and any other occupants when the dragon roared.

Another black dot appeared on the armbands. Another loss.

Sync cowered away from the large creature, shaking violently as he brought his arms over his head, curling up in fear and wishing the dragon would simply go away and leave him alone.

L then got lucky, as suddenly, a familiar black dragon swooped down, lifting the car up in its claws and tossing it away to free L, before once again taking to the sky with its ferret companion on its head.

Cloud gave a soft little frown at that. "Awww, so you're free now. Pity. Guess I can't just stand by anymore, can I?"

He then gave yet another smirk, growing taller and more sinister looking. His hair grew to shoulder length, his ears pointed into an elfish shape- his teeth took on the shape of catlike fangs, and large black wings spread from his back. He took to the air, white lion tail flowing out behind him as he, too, began to add to the carnage, laughing in amusement as he set numerous buildings and screaming humans on fire.

L attempted to stand, but his knees buckled on him, and he braced himself against the snow, breathing heavily.

He could do this.

He had to.

The black-haired shinigmai stood, grey eyes locking onto the airborne Cloud. "I am sorry," he said, unsheathing his scythe. "But you are in the process of committing a crime. And justice will prevail." The ex-detective put two fingers between his lips, whistling loudly. A large roar was heard, and a familiar grey dragon showed himself, flying low to the ground and allowing L to hop onto his back before once again taking to the skies.

Erisdaar took no heed to the steadily increasing snow, yellow eyes slits.

L prepared his scythe, grey eyes narrowed as he stared at Cloud. Erisdaar let out a breath of fire, blasting Cloud with heat as he braced himself. The grey creature barreled into Cloud, claws grabbing into his flesh as jaws snapped viciously at the 'boy''s head.

Cloud suddenly sent a violent blast of lightning and wind at the dragon, blowing it away from him.

"Not so fast, lizard," the demon teased, eyes flashing. "You're mine.~"

He reached a hand towards the sky, as lightning began to strike, violent winds howling across the city and blowing many people off of their feet- making it nearly impossible for the group's dragons to fly properly.

As Sebastian was locked in combat, he suddenly found himself lifted into the air, struggling to escape- and was bitten in half, both halves dangling lifelessly from a dragon's jaws, blood and intestines spilling out from his now mangled and dead body.

L noticed the new black dot and directed Erisdaar forward, both of them going against the sudden wind and lightning. The dragon was starting to have difficulty seeing through the growing blizzard, and blew a blast of flames in frustration. L's features were illuminated with oranges and reds, and his grey eyes seemed to be blazing with fire as he and Erisdaar worked together against the severe wind and biting cold. The grey dragon surged forward, jaws snapping at one of Cloud's black wings and connecting, ripping it off in a burst of blood as an unfortunate strike of lightning clapped against his side. He let out a roar, wing blazing as he did his best to redirect himself- but it was too much. The dragon smashed into the asphalt, L barely managing to leap away as the concrete and pavement exploded. Rocks and debris flew in all directions, smashing into nearby buildings and windows. L raced to his dragon's side, but it was too late.

Erisdaar was gone.

His yellow eyes were clouded, with a soft film over them. L reached a hand forward, gently closing the only eye that was visible.

Cloud had killed his dragon.

He was going to pay.

Rage burned inside of L. It burned hard, and furious; he'd grown attached to Erisdaar.

This was more than a petty death.

This was war.

Cloud gave a low snarl as he found himself plummeting to the ground with his wing ripped off. Eyes narrowed, the demon turned his violent sights towards two others who happened to the close to L- Levi and Hanji.

The two were side-by-side, fighting off monsters on the ground as their two dragons soared overhead, fighting separately from their riders.

Cloud raised a hand, a sickening smirk crossing his face as he blasted a stream of lightning in Hanji's direction from behind- which went right through her back, coming back out from her chest.

Eyes wide with surprise and horror, Hanji found herself falling forward- and was suddenly jumped by numerous Hellhounds, who began to violently rip into her, tearing her stomach open and ripping her intestines apart as she screamed. Levi froze in shock, as rage suddenly filled him to the core.

"HANJI!" he screamed, voice filled with violent rage as he began to shred the Hellhounds to pieces, quickly maneuvering around and ending multiple monster's lives in his wake, rage turning his eyes a dark, blood-red. Over a hundred monsters found themselves dead in his wrath, but it simply wasn't enough- Levi soon found himself knocked over and impaled from the spikes of a dragon's tail, falling to the ground right beside Hanji's now-lifeless body, as monsters began to do to him just as they had done to her.

L stared as his brother and friend were brutally murdered. After a minute, two black dots popped up on the grid.

The man shot his glare towards Cloud. "Good move," he said. "Two bishops from the white queen have been taken. But you have no checkmate yet." His grey eyes revealed his fury, teeth gritting.

Erisdaar was dead. Levi was dead. Matt and Mello were dead. Sebastian and Ginko were dead. Who next?

L raised his scythe. "Make your move!" he exclaimed, holding out his arms. "Come on, kill me already! You've done your part, now it's time for me to do mine!"

The snow continued to mix with ash, falling to the ground in waves and covering bodies in silent graves. Fires raged on, illuminating the world in flashes of orange and yellow. The sky was splashed with reds and blacks.

And L was angry without being influenced.

The black, feathered dragon clawed its way into the makeshift hospital, jaws latching onto Sync's shoulder and jagged teeth sinking into his flesh. Glass crunched under its feet as it stepped forward, wings tucked with its arms.

Sync gave a pained scream, violently flailing and kicking out, eyes filled with terror as he struggled to escape- but to no avail.

One by one, more and more people fell. Knox and William, two of the shinigami that the group had affiliated themselves with in the past on a few occasions, had joined into the fray- and both ended up dead.

Zelos, Light, Green, Blue, Raine, Yuan, Mithos, Girza, and Aqua fell as well, torn apart, never to see the light of day again.

Amira and Arkyrir had also died, very soon after their masters had.

Many lives were still being lost.

As L challenged Cloud, the demon king merely stared at him in amusement- until a familiar black dragon flew overhead. Cloud quickly shot up a hand, blasting lightning at the dragon in much the same way he had done to Hanji- and he fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Rhaegos!" Ciel shrieked, leaping off of the dragon before he could be crushed by his weight. "Shit, shit... Rhaegos, hell no!"

L's eyes flashed more at that. "Take a look around you!" he shouted, voice carrying remarkably well above the sounds of wind, snow, lightning, and fighting. "Look at all of this destruction! This is your final play, Cloud! Your finale! The grand fireworks of the display! And you have unleashed a demon! A demon you will not wish to meet!" The shinigami raised his scythe. "I challenge you!" He was shaking, but not from the freezing temperatures. His breath was visible in puffs, but that did not motivate him. His cloak flowed in the wild breeze, as did the leather sheathes; and yet, that was not what he focused on.

L focused on Cloud, the fire in his grey eyes raging.

The dragon snapped its jaws into Sync's head, tugging it and slamming into it. Blood sprayed, glass crunched; the black creature was enjoying himself.

A large, yellow, spiky dragon-like creature lumbered towards Lloyd, claws clicking as it raised its scorpion-like tail and aimed a sharp sting to the demon's back.

As the dragon's jaws crunched into Sync's head, his entire world faded to black- and he hung limply from the dragon's jaws, dead.

Cloud watched all of the carnage in amusement, before turning to L with a smirk. "You think you can win?" he hissed, regrowing his torn wing and once again taking to the sky, sending a stream of fire L's way. "Think again, shinigami!"

Lloyd quickly dodged the dragon's attack, slicing at it with his twin blades.

L timed his moves in advance, flipping away from the fire and hopping on top of Erisdaar's resting form. He raised his scythe, blocking the flames as he shook with fury- but he would not let this go to his head.

The dragon snapped the stinger into Lloyd's leg. It wasn't venomous, but it was an effective weapon.

Near's eyes widened as he turned, watching as the dragon pulled Lloyd slowly into its jagged, tooth-filled jaws. A trail of disturbed snow and blood was left where Lloyd fell, and Near stared in horror.

"No!" he shouted, unsheathing his sword and rushing the spiked dragon beast. His footsteps pounded against the deep snow, and he leaped into the air, stabbing his sword into the side of its head.

It swung itself away from Near, roaring and releasing Lloyd. It slammed into the side of a cobblestone building, smooshing Near against it. The boy yowled in pain as he was crushed, spikes from the beast puncturing his frail body.

But that would not stop him.

This thing had tried to kill Lloyd.

Near shoved the beast away with a thrust from his legs, stabbing the beast again and again with his sword. It brought its stinger up and smashed it into Near's chest, slamming him into the snow and pressing him there.

The sword did its trick, however; the beast stumbled a bit before falling to its side, dead. Near lay in the cold snow, the wound in his chest too deep to fix. He stared at the sky, the snow swirling towards him and covering his scarred face.

His grey eyes began to cloud as blood pooled around him.

Lloyd watched in pure and utter horror as his friend was mercilessly slaughtered by the dragon, shaking with rage.

"No..." he rasped, barely able to even comprehend what the hell just happened. His friend, one of his closest friends, was now dead- he had died saving his life. "No... /NEAR!/"

He rushed forward, lifting Near up and wrapping his arms around the boy's smaller form, holding him close and burying his face into his neck. "No, no... Near, this... this can't be happening..."

Tears pooled from the brown-haired male's eyes, as he shook with both rage and sadness over the loss of his friend.

"Near..." Lloyd choked, slowly pulling away and staring down at Near's lifeless body. "I... I promise... I'll avenge you! Your death will not be for nothing!"

The black dot popped up on the armband grids, making it official:

Commander Nate River had fallen.

The snow softly swirled to the ground, endlessly continuing to pile up. The fires continued to rage, the monsters still giving it their all.

Such a peaceful day... ended in such tragedy.

L used his rope to swing up to the top of a nearby brick building, raising his pistol and aiming at the soaring king.

A pawn turned king.

The piece against the player.

A single shot flew through the air, the scythe-infused bullet ripping through Cloud's chest. L knew it wasn't enough to kill him, but it would be enough to weaken him enough to be fightable. The shinigami leaped back onto Erisdaar's body, using the grey dragon even after death.

His rage only grew when he saw that Near's dot was black.

Cloud gave a low snarl as he crashed to the ground, sending a glare in L's direction. The demon king pushed himself to his feet- and was suddenly met with Lloyd's sword cutting through his wing. He quickly lashed out with his claws, sending Lloyd flying backwards.

"Indignation!" another voice rang out- none other than that of /Ion/. Lightning began to strike down on Cloud, causing the white-haired demon's eyes to flash with rage. After casting the spell, Ion suddenly fell to the ground, panting and exhausted.

"Tue rei ze croa riou tue ze...~" came Tear's singing voice, causing Cloud to freeze up, giving Luke and Lloyd time to slash at him with their swords, while Jade cast an Indignation spell. The paralyisis didn't last long, however, and Cloud soon lashed out again- sending lightning directly at Tear, causing her to fall to the ground, spasming from the shock. Luke immediately rushed to her side, horror coursing through him as yet another comrade- his lover, to be exact- fell to Cloud's clutches.

"You'll pay for this," Luke snarled, launching himself at Cloud with violent ferocity. "You damned murderer!"

Ion had by now collapsed onto his side, breathing heavily.

Victor suddenly came around the corner, sniper raised and aimed for Cloud- but an unfortunate lightning strike ended this immediately.

"Watari!" L shouted, eyes widening instantly. He turned to look at Cloud, fury dancing through his veins. He had never felt so angry in his life. His heartbeat increased, his mind raging as he raised his scythe.

"THAT'S ENOUGH OF THAT!" L bellowed, racing forward. He found new energy as he slammed into the king, stabbing his scythe into Cloud's eye and twisting it around in his head. Blood gushed from the wound, flowing like a river to the snowy ground and squirting L in the face.

"YOU ARE GOING TO DIE," he roared, kicking away from Cloud and leaving the scythe embedded in the king's eye. He pulled his sword out of his sheathe, stabbing it into the beast's groin area and shoving it all the way through to the other side. He then took out his pistol, aiming with rage in his eyes.

"Checkmate," he hissed, firing.

Cloud gave a loud roar of both agony and rage as L attacked, falling to the ground as L's bullet embedded itself in his skull. As he writhed around on the ground, convulsing as he fought to keep his life, he suddenly raised an arm, aimed directly for Ion- and fired one last lightning stream, ending the boy's fragile life immediately- before finally going limp himself.

The monsters screeched as their puppetmaster died, each and every one of them falling to the snowy ground and disintegrating in clouds of black dust.

The snow stopped falling, but the ash did not. Fires blazed, glass crunched, flesh burned. The monsters were gone, but their traces were not.

L stared down at Cloud's body, the fire dying from his eyes. "The king is gone," he murmured, slowly looking down at his armband.

So many black dots... they crowded each other, blotting out much of the grid.

L swiveled his grey eyes towards Ciel, emotion draining from his face and body language. "Arrange body collection. I will plot out points for the graves. They did not die in vain."

Ciel gave a dip of his head in response, entire expression solemn. The ferret gave one last look towards his fallen dragon companion, before slowly stalking off to collect the bodies of the dead.

The fires were put out, the remains cleaned up, the damages paid for. Many bodies were mutilated beyond repair, or not there at all- nonetheless, L ensured that oak coffins were arranged in their honor.

 ******BELOW ARE SPOILERS FOR FUTURE CONTENT. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. IF YOU DO NOT WANT MORE SPOILERS, DO NOT KEEP READING.*  
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** _Most of these characters are not permanently dead, and will in fact be resurrected later on for a new plot point, as demons are technically immortal. However, some characters, such as Mello and Matt, are dead for good._ **  
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